Street-traffic-signal apparatus.



H. D. HEUER,

STREET TRAFFIC SIGNAL APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 23, i914.

Patented Apr. 50,1918.

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H. D. HEUER.

STREET TRAFFIC SIGNAL APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 23 I914. .111 6 ml) Patented Apr. 30, 1918.

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To an whom it may concern:

Be it lmown that l HARRY D. Hanna, a

citizen of the United states, and resident of St. Louis, issouri, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Street- Traflic-Signal Apparatus, of which the following is a specification containing a full, clear, and exact description, reference belng .had to the accompanying drawings, forminifla part hereof.

y invention relates to improvements in street traflic signal apparatuses, and the object of'my invention is to construct a simple and inexpensive apparatus comprising a 1n whlch is rotatably mounted a shaft 14 signal device arranged to be suspended from a suitable hanger overhead a street crossing where it will be visible from all directions for some considerable distance, and to arrange a simple means for operating the signal devlce from the surface at a point preferably removed from the intersection of the median lines of the crossing streets, where the traffic guardian is removed from the danger incident to trafic, and where a shelter may be stationed for the protection and comfort of the traffic guardian.

With the above purposes in view, my invention consists of certain novel features of construction which will be fully set forth in the following specification, pointed out in my claims, and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 shows in plan my improved trafic signal apparatus as in use at a street cross- Fig. 2 is an elevation of the apparatus as shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 shows in plan the rotatable signal device, a portion of its hanger and the rods and chain for rotating it;

, Fig. 4: is a diagrammatical elevation of the signal device and its operating means; Fi 5 is a vertical sectional elevation showmg the pivoted support for the semaphores and the electrical connections for the lam s carried by the semaphores;

Fig. 6 is a sectional plan taken on the line 66 of Fig. 5; a v Fig. 7 shows in plan the lever for operating the semaphore; and

Fig. 8 is a sectional plan taken on the line 8-8 of Fig. .4, showing-the direction ltpectflcation of Letters Patent.

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pulleys carried posts. a Referring by numerals to the accompanying drawlngsz l010 designates posts which are preferably placed at diagonally opposite corners of a street crossing, as shown in Fig. 1. Strung between these posts from points near the ends of the cable is a hanger 12, which 1s 1n' a position overhead the intersecting point of the median lines of the crossed streets.

Suspended from the hanger12 is a bell 13,

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by one .of the supporting their tops is a cable 11, and intermediate 1 carrying at its lower end a hub 15 provided I with the radially arranged pockets, each of which pockets is designed for the support of a semaphore. There are preferably four of the semaphores, two of which are of one color and the other two of a contrasting so I 18 is a pair of direction pulleys 19. The

base forthe post carrying the direction pulleys is preferably a glazed shelter house such as 20, of sufficient size to comfortably "house'the trafic guardian and the semaphore operating mechanism.

- Arranged wlthin the shelter house and preferably secured to the wall thereof, as

shown in Fig. 7, is a bearing 21,'in which is rotatably mounted a shaft 22 supporting a sprocket wheel 23, vertically alining with the post 10, and an operating lever 24.

Riding upon the sprocket wheel 18 connected with the semaphores and the sprocket wheel 28 within the shelter house are the sprocket chain sections 25 and 26, and riding over the direction chainsections 2727.

Extended upwardly through pulleys 19 are the the shelter house and the post 10 is a pair of rods 28,.

which connect the ends of the s rocket chain section 26 with the one end 0 each of the chain sectlons 2727, the other ends of the chain sections 2727 being connected ,with the ends of the chain section 25 by the rods 29- 29. I

By the arrangement and construction of the parts just described have provided a signal apparatus which will be vislble from all directions for a considerable distance, even though there be a congestion of traflic in the immediate vicinity of the signal device, and have provided a signal operating means on the surface, located out of the path of traflic where a shelter house may be ocatedh The traflic guardian from within the shelter house may control traflic by rocking the lever 24, which through the various rods, chains, and sprocket wheels revolves the signal device, showing the red or stop semaphores to trafiic in both directions on one street, and the white or clear semaphores in both directions to the traliic on the other street.

In order that the si als may be effective at night, I arrange ampsyon the semaphores. In the drawings I have shown incandescent electric lamps arranged in airs on each face of the semaphores, the red semaphores 16 carrying red-lamps 30 and the white semaphores 17 carrying white lamps 31.

In order that only one color of lamp be shown from any one direction, I provide the shades 32 which project laterally from each face of each semaphore outside of the lamps.

The shaft 14 is formed hollow for a ortion of its length, and the wires leading rom the lamps occupy this hollow portion of the shaft. At the up er end of this hollow portion of the sha the wires lead to a pair of contacts 33, insulated from the shaft, but rotatable therewith. Arranged to successively engage the contacts '33 is a brush 34 secured to the fixed bell 13, and leading from the brush 34 is a feed wire 35. Arranged diametrically opposite the brush 34 is a second brush 36 to ,en age the contacts 33 when moved, and lea in from the brush 36 is a feed wire 37 in w ich is located a switch 38, which switch provides means for turning the lights on and off, as occasion demands. 1

In order to provide an audible signalcoincident with the movement of the semaphores, I arrange an electric bell 39 preferabl on the post 10 over theshelter house, an Wire the bell in a circuit including a battery 40, a pair of contacts 41-41 located adjacent the path of travel of the lever 24, and the lever itself. So that each time the traffic guardian moves the lever 24 to change the position of the semaphores, the lever 24 engaging the contacts 41-41 completes the electric circuit, including the bell 39.

When the signal apparatus of my invention is not in use as a guide to trafiic, the

semaphores may be placed diagonally and.

by prearrangement this dispositionof the sema horse will indicate the absence of a guzir ian and put traflic'under its own contro Having thus described 111 invention, what I claim as new therein an desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States therefor, is:

l. A street traffic si al apparatus compr1s1ng supports positioned on opposite sides of the street, a cable connected to said supports, a semaphore support secured intermediate of the ends of said cable, a rotatable semaphore mounted on said support, a lamp carried b said semaphore, an operatin lever positloned adjacent to one of the ca 1e carrying supports, a flexible connection between said lever and semaphore, an electric circuit, and a circuit closing and breaking means in the path of movement of said lever and said semaphore.

2. A street traflic signal a paratus comprising supports posltioned on opposite sides of a street crossing, a cable comiected to said supports, a semaphore sup ort secured intermediate of the ends of said cable and positioned above street traflic, a rotato said supports, a semaphore support sei cured intermediate of the ends of sad cable and positioned substantially above the intersectlon of the streets, a rotatable semaphore mounted on sald sup ort, an incan descent electric lamp carrie by said semaphore, an electric circuit for said lamp provided with contact terminals, an operating lever positioned adjacent to one of the cable carrying supports, a flexible connection between said lever and semaphore, an electric circuit, and contact terminals carried by the semaphore support.

4. A street tratfic signal apparatus comprising supports positioned on opposite sides of a street, a suspended cable connected to said supports, a semaphore hanger secured and suspended from said cable, electric contact terminals carried by said hanger, electric circuit wires leading to said contacts, a shaft revolubly mounted in said hanger, electric circuit terminals rotatably carried by the said shaft, semaphore blades name to this specification, in presence of carried by said shaft, electric lamp circuits two subscribing witnesses. for each blade, a hand operating lever positioned adjacent to one of the cable carrying HARRY HEUER 5 supports, and a flexible connection between Witnesses: said lever and semaphore. EDWARD E. LONGAN,

In testimony whereof, I, have signed my E. L. WALLACE. 

